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Billy the Kid: More Than a Legend

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Billy the Kid: More Than a Legend National Park Service White Sands U.S. Department of the Interior White Sands National Monument Billy the Kid: More than a Legend he history of the American Southwest is chock full of legends and stories that truly live up to the epithet of the TWild West. The embellishment of these stories has allowed for the development of numerous movies and books but the true facts of these accounts are more interesting than any tall tale. Yes, the West really was wild! after Tunstall. According to most doubt he and other renowned William Henry McCarthy, accounts, he was shot unarmed characters of the time came across otherwise known as Billy the which was against “the code of the largerst gypsum dunefield in Kid, is a perfect example of how the West.” After Tunstall’s murder, the world as they traveled. Who untamed the now tranquil towns Billy and the Regulators swore knows what evidence of their of New Mexico used to be. It vengeance on Jesse Evans and his passage these ever-shifting dunes was no secret that Billy had a crew. might be hiding. rough past. His mother died of tuberculosis while he was just a As a result of one of the many —Sandra Flickinger, Student-Intern young boy and he had a history of skirmishes, Sheriff William Brady working odd jobs in combination was killed, putting Billy in the hot with a few illegal activities. seat as a murderer and sending him on the run. After many daring The real beginning of Billy’s career escapes, the new sheriff, Pat as an infamous gunman, however, Garrett, was finally successful in began in 1878 after he met a young arresting Billy. Not to be outdone, Englishman named John Tunstall. Billy made a grand escape from That year saw the beginning of the the second floor of the Lincoln Lincoln County Wars—a series of County courthouse, killing violent confrontations resulting Deputies J.W. Bell and Bob Olinger from conflict between two groups as he fled. Many speculate as to of businessmen: L.G. Murphy and how he accomplished such a feat James Dolan versus the newcomer but it is fair to say that “the Kid” Tunstall, attorney Alexander seemed to have his share of luck. McSween, and cattle baron John That luck ran out on July 14, 1881 Chisum. when Garrett caught up to the legendary outlaw at the home of Like most monopolized towns, Pete Maxwell and killed him. Murphy and crew had the law on their side—Sheriff William Brady. With so many versions of what Murphy also had the infamous really happened during the Jesse Evans gang to take care of Lincoln County Wars, it is hard to any “problems” that might arise. tell fact from fiction. Historians In this case, that problem was and fans still debate the detail of Tunstall and McSween, who a man whose legend continues wanted to establish their own to live-on in our imaginations. business in Lincoln County. Billy There’s no telling just how far Billy was hired by Tunstall as a ranch wandered—did he hide between hand and became one of the the white dunes of the Tularosa Regulators, a posse formed to Basin? His prescence still lingers support Tunstall and McSween. in the state of New Mexico, from As tensions escalated, Murphy Santa Fe and to Old Mesilla to had Jesse Evans and his men go Lincoln County. There is no Billy the Kid Originally written Fall/Winter 2014 Revised 03/26/2016.
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